1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the placement of components on an integrated motherboard, and in particular the placement of a central processing unit (CPU) and other peripheral components on an integrated motherboard for a small form factor computer.
2. Background of the Invention
Technology in the field of integrated circuit (IC) design and manufacturing has progressed rapidly, enabling more powerful and smaller ICs. As a result, peripheral component ICs—such as network chips, modem chips, graphics chips, and audio chips—are often integrated into the motherboard rather than being placed in cards or in external peripheral devices. However, the incorporation of additional components on the motherboard makes the task of placing the components and their respective connectors on the motherboard more difficult without increasing the size of the motherboard.
Manufacturers of CPUs provide specifications for the design of their chips on motherboards. For example, Intel Corporation has provided rules for designing its PENTIUM® 4 CPU and an associated chipset on a motherboard, and motherboard designers must follow those rules to incorporate correctly a PENTIUM® 4 CPU on a motherboard. Designing a motherboard in accordance with these rules, however, may force the motherboard to be larger than desired—especially where the motherboard incorporates a number of other peripheral components. This is especially undesirable for small form factor computers, where the small size of the computer is an important feature. The design of motherboards in accordance with these conventional rules simply fails to achieve the desired result.
Therefore, there is a need for an integrated motherboard having a CPU and peripheral components with their respective connectors placed onto the motherboard without increasing the size of the motherboard. In addition, small form factor computers pack the same components as a regular desktop computer into a smaller space. Heat dissipation from the computer chassis is therefore a greater problem for small form factor computers than for their larger counterparts. Accordingly, it is desirable to arrange the components on the motherboard to facilitate the removal of heat away from the motherboard and the components thereon.